The Barbican summer show is both indepth and experimental enough to hold our attention whilst also being playful and interactive enough to entertain the kids. It is this characteristic of animation itself that has given the medium appeal for all ages. From the cartoons we watched as children, to the social and political commentary expressed through adult cartoons like South Park, animation has been such a popular medium due to its accessibility and freedom. It is this characteristic of animation that is at the heart of this exhibition's curation, from the huge cinematic screens in the atrium of the space to the smaller and more personal 'booths'.

The exhibition begins with the birth of animation at the beginning of the last century, with some of the earliest cartoons and stop motion animations created. From there it's a swift development to the blockbuster animations that we relate to. With large projections of the most popular 'superhuman' animations from both the east and west, including the comic book heroes from DC and Marvel and the more complex characters from the orient such as Studio Ghibli's 'Princess Mononoke' and Japan's Sailor Moon. The exhibition goes on to compare and contrast these superheroes with the characters from animations that were more of a commentary on society and family life such as The Simpsons, Toy Story and Creature Comforts. This contrast between the 'Superhuman' and the 'Characters' demonstrates the varying characteristics of society that animations can trigger, by both being a manifestation of our dreams and imaginations to being a comforting comment on real life.

What I most enjoyed about this exhibition was the scope, rather than simply famiiar excerpts of animated tv shows and films, we see examples of experimental cinema from the avant-garde and beyond. The importance of the development of visual imagery has often been overlooked in the history of the avant-garde, it was the modernist movement's search for 'truth' in the basic elements of the arts that first prompted such artists as Ferdinand Leger to experiment with film. This new age of experimental films was defined by their use of the 'building blocks' of animation, by exploring what could be produced through the use of pure geometric form they were able to produce some of the most intriguing films in avant-garde history, such as Leger's 'Ballet Mechanique' and Eggeling's 'Symphonie Diagonale'. The foundations made by these artists during the 1920s made way for artists of the 1950s to push the formal possibilities of film even further. Norman McClaren's Oscar winning Neighbours is both humorous and moralistic, exploring the teaching to 'Love your Neighbour', McClaren uses stop-motion animation to great effect with live characters and props.

The final section of the exhibition was perhaps not the most impressive or enticing with its computer animations and game technology but was the most thought provoking in reference to contemporary society. Many were commenting on how the accelerated development of animation is directly affecting our lifestyles. With the immersive quality of our new games and the realistic CGI effects in our films, the boundary between reality and imagination begins to become close to a fusion. Ryan Trecartin's film is perhaps the most disconcerting with its reality-TV style portrait of how the internet dialogue has replaced the 'behavioural codes of the analogue world', his strange characters and confusing environments display situations that are a stark reminder of the dangers of technologically advanced animation when taken too seriously.

From the carefree experimentations of Disney and the Lumiere brothers at the beginning of the 20th Century to the worrying predictions of where our society is headed, 'Watch Me Move' is a thorough introduction to the world of animation that has surrounded us since its inception last century. Find yourself immersed in hidden gems, such as my favourite, Tim Burton and Disney's Vincent:

As part of Watch me Move, the Barbican presents a talk by Animate Projects on August 11th, who are also featured here on jotta.

For details, times and prices of the talk click here.